Save Money and Lower Stress with These Websites
- kendillard
- May 26, 2025
- 5 min read
Updated: Jun 8, 2025
The Ultimate Guide to Our Favorite Travel Websites for Airfare, Trains, Hotels, and More
As long-time travelers, we have explored countless corners of the globe and discovered that the key to a seamless travel experience often lies in the tools you use. Whether it’s finding the best airfare, booking a reasonable hotel with quick access to attractions, or navigating train schedules in a foreign country, having the right websites at your fingertips can make all the difference. In this post, we are excited to share our favorite travel websites that have become indispensable over the years. You may already know many of these, but looking at them through the idea of "How can I save money?" opens up a new way of using these sites.
While there are so many options available, the list here has become our “go-to” for researching destinations, planning the trip, and getting around. Links to all sites are at the bottom of this post.
1. Airfare
Airfare is often the largest expense when planning a trip, so finding the best deals is crucial. Here is how we use Google Flights to find less expensive trips and research trip combinations.
Google Flights is a powerful tool in our travel arsenal. It offers a clean, intuitive interface and provides insights into price trends, helping you decide the best time to book. The map feature is fantastic for visually comparing prices across different destinations, and we appreciate the flexibility to filter by specific airlines, layovers, and baggage policies.
Besides simply typing in Nashville to Antigua for specific dates, we love using the “Explore” feature. Simply enter your starting city and scroll around the globe looking for cool spots at cheaper prices. For example, a trip from Nashville to Antigua in the next six months shows the lowest price as $602. However, if you are just looking for a Caribbean getaway, you can see Aruba is $379, or San Juan Puerto Rico for $212. So, if you are flexible on destination, you could save hundreds of dollars on airfare to start your trip!
We recently used Google flights to save $350 on airfare to Europe. There were specific dates we had to be in France but using the explore feature we saw flights into Amsterdam were $350 cheaper than flights into Paris. So we booked a flight to Amsterdam and visited with friends, and then a 3.5 hour, direct train ride for $127; netting a $223 savings - enough for a couple of hotel nights.
2. Trains and Buses
Train travel can be a great way to explore a new country. Rome2Rio helps us efficiently plan my train and bus journeys.
Rome2rio is an all-in-one travel planner that we frequently use to map out the logistics of getting from point A to point B (then C and D). While we use it primarily for researching and booking train and bus trips, whether you’re traveling by plane, train, bus, ferry, or car, Rome2rio provides a comprehensive overview of your options, complete with estimated costs and travel times. And you can even buy tickets directly from the website. It’s an excellent resource for planning multi-leg journeys. Rome2Rio offers detailed guides on train routes worldwide, from Europe to Asia and beyond. The wealth of information makes it a favorite when planning trips.
We recently booked on Rome2Rio for trains around France, Monaco, Genoa Italy. The easy interface allowed us to enter our destinations, dates, and scan for prices and schedules that worked for the timing of each day.
3. Accommodations
Finding the perfect place to stay can make or break your travel experience. Here are the accommodation booking sites we use.
Hotels.com is an online booking platform that offers a wide range of accommodations, including hotels, resorts, and vacation rentals worldwide. One of its main benefits is the Rewards program, where users earn points toward free nights. It also provides flexible cancellation policies and frequent deals or discounts, making it a reliable option for travelers seeking traditional hotel experiences.
Airbnb is a platform you probably know where travelers can book stays in homes, apartments, and even unconventional properties like tree houses or cabins. The benefit of Airbnb lies in its variety of accommodations and the ability to experience a destination more like a local. It often provides more space and amenities, such as kitchens, and can be more cost-effective for longer stays or group trips.
Using both platforms allows travelers to compare a wider range of accommodations, from boutique hotels to cozy apartments, ensuring they find the best fit for their needs and budget.
We have found that either platform can provide great options, and we shop both to find a price and location we want.
4. Other Essential Travel Websites
Beyond flights, trains, and hotels, several other websites have become essential tools in my travel planning:
Saving Money
Worldpackers is a platform that connects travelers with hosts worldwide who usually offer free accommodation and meals in exchange for volunteer work. By helping with tasks like hospitality, caring for animals, or teaching (or just about anything else you can imagine), travelers can save money on food and lodging while gaining unique, local experiences. It’s a great way to travel inexpensively, make meaningful connections, and contribute to communities. The site also offers verified reviews, insurance, and support, ensuring a safe and enriching travel experience for both hosts and volunteers.
Our experiences with Worldpackers so far has been a great experience assisting on the build of a castle in central France. Over the course of 12 nights and 13 days, we spent a total of $85 - that was buying a meal out for the volunteers and staff as a thank you for their support and hospitality.
Worldpackers does cost $99 for an annual membership, and by our calculation, we received approximately $2,200 in value for lodging and meals during our volunteer stay. We also made friends with people from Australia, England, Mexico, and Columbia who were other volunteers at the time we were there. We used our down time to hike and explore nearby cities and attractions.
The screenshot above shows a sample of available volunteer teaching opportunities in Western Europe. No matter your skill set, we are confident you can find a great experience, provide work as a volunteer, and have time off to explore the area.
Saving Money
TravelPirates is a free travel deal aggregator that helps users find inexpensive travel options by curating a wide range of deals from various sources. The website assists with affordable travel through offering deals they curate, search options, alert emails with current deals, and travel guides and tips.
In addition, they send alerts for companies running promotions such as a recent contest for free airfare to Japan.
Below is a screenshot showing a sample of deals available at the time of this article. They change often so we subscribed to receive their alerts.
By leveraging the features on Travel Pirates, travelers can discover affordable travel options and plan their adventures on a budget.
Conclusion
In a world where travel has become more accessible than ever, having the right tools at your disposal can transform your journey from ordinary to extraordinary. These websites have helped me navigate the complexities of travel with ease, allowing me to focus on the joy of discovering new places and cultures. Whether you’re a seasoned traveler or just starting, we hope these recommendations help you plan your next adventure with confidence. Safe travels!
Tells us your favorite travel sites and apps in the comments below.
Note> Watch for our upcoming webinars on how to use these tools so you can be comfortable planning your trip and not miss your train stop in Paris (don’t ask).
Links to the sites we use:
Google Flights:
Rome2Rio:
AirBnB:
Worldpackers:
TravelPirates:
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